This picture has got a lot going on. There’s SEAL Craig Sawyer and Medal of Honor awardee Sgt Dakota Meyer (USMC) wearing newly designed uniforms from SOD Gear in Hyde Definition’s PenCott camo. They are also wearing 215 Gear hats and belts. That’s not to mention the weapons.
Check out the rest of the story at Strike Hold!
Sometimes you have to just sit on a good story until it’s time. About a week-and-a-half ago we posted an article about Chris Costa running a couple of courses solo for Falcon Ops Group. We had to play it off that it seemed “interesting” that he was doing it. The reality is that we knew he was leaving Magpul Dynamics to do his own thing somewhere around the beginning of the year.
Yesterday, Magpul Industries announced Chris Costa’s departure:
Chris Costa to Branch Out On His Own in 2012
Since 2007, Magpul Dynamics has trained thousands of professional and civilian shooters, and reached countless more through a comprehensive collection of instructional DVDs. With an emphasis on real world techniques, consistency, and efficiency, Magpul Dynamics has brought tactical instruction to the forefront of the shooting community. The application of these philosophies to high quality multimedia productions has helped propel the entire firearms training industry to new heights, garnering the attention of a larger audience than ever before.
The entire instructor cadre has been instrumental in the success of these endeavors, not the least of which has been Chris Costa. Chris will be moving on in early 2012 to pursue new projects within the industry, including his own training company. Magpul will continue to explore future opportunities to work with Chris, and looks forward to these projects. It has been a privilege to work with Chris for the last five years, and Magpul wishes him the best of luck in the future. The fundamentals of Reality, Consistency, and Efficiency that Chris helped instill are central to the entire Magpul Dynamics instructor cadre, and will continue to drive their training philosophy and mindset.
He will be moving on to run Costa Ludus. Ludus is the Latin word used in ancient Rome for a training school of Gladiators.
Updated: While the word Ludus is used to refer to a “gladiator school,” in Latin it is also used to refer to a school for learning the basics of a craft.
Military Times Gear Scout spoke to Costa about his new venture.
Researchers have been concentrating on filling the gaps between current armor vests and helmets and that has driven the design of this new helmet system. They started with a light helmet with shock mitigating liner. Then they developed different mission-specific appliques, such as a ballistic shell, front mandible, ballistic visor and an rear neck guard that attaches at the back of the helmet which reminds me of those found on riot helmets. This has made it modular and scalable much like newer body armor. They’ve added a couple of other interesting features. As you can see, the outer shell includes an integrated NVG mount. Additionally, the liner helmet is high cut, exposing the the ear in order to decrease weight yet increase compatibility with hearing augmentation systems.
The helmet has been under development by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) РValcartier since 2007 and recently underwent trials with 2nd Battalion, Royal 22e R̩giment (2 R22eR) (the legendary Van Doos) during the last two weeks of September. The 2 R22eR team put the helmet through its paces in a variety of scenarios including dismounted and mounted, range drills and weapons handling.
Video report and Photos by Sgt Sébastien Fréchette, Army News, CFB Valcartier
Chances are good that if you’ve got any time around MRAPs you know Force Protection, Inc. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has agreed to pay $5.52 per share of common stock for a total of about $360 million to purchase FPI. This move isn’t really that surprising as for the last five years GDLS and FPI have partnered in the production of the Cougar. However, considering that both the Army and Marine Corps have discussed curtailing their MRAP buys, the timing seems somewhat late.
Conversely, this move does help GD further corner the US armored vehicle market. Already, they manufacture both the Abrams main battle tank and Stryker infantry combat vehicle. Additionally, as you may recall, FPI developed the JAMMA for use as a SOF Internally Transportable Vehicle. With GMVS 1.1 in full swing, this move may help strengthen the case for the JAMMA.
“Force Protection complements and strategically expands General Dynamics’ armored vehicle business, adding new products to the expansive portfolio of combat vehicles that we currently manufacture and support,” said Mark C. Roualet, president of General Dynamics Land Systems. “In addition, Force Protection’s skilled workforce provides high-quality support and sustainment services to an installed fleet of approximately 3,000 vehicles, strengthening our ability to support assets deployed with U.S. forces around the world. With this acquisition, we will create new opportunities to serve domestic and international customers alike.”
Michael Moody, chairman and chief executive officer of Force Protection, Inc., commented, “After careful consideration of the strategic direction of Force Protection, our board decided that a sale to General Dynamics would maximize value for our stockholders. With their armored vehicle business, General Dynamics will be able to pursue opportunities that we could not have pursued as a stand-alone company. As part of the General Dynamics family, our innovative products and offerings will continue to provide militaries worldwide critical assets that save troops’ lives.”
Available currently in Rawhide, with a Black version on the way, the Tactician AR from Arc’teryx are some seriously comfortable gloves. Arc’teryx spent several years perfecting their glove technology, developing patterns that conformed to how the hand works rather than how many pairs could be harvested from a yard of material. Consider seamless fingertips and an adjustable cuff. These and other features take handwear to a new level. Additionally, Arc’teryx has combined a very supple 0.9mm Lezanova goat leather with reinforced 1.1mm leather reinforcements in the palms.
Available now through www.missionreadyequipment.com.
Hosted by the Centre of Excellence for Cold Weather Operations, the 2nd NATO cold weather seminar is from the 21st until the 23rd of November at the Norwegian Vinterskole in Oslo. This seminar’s theme is “Winter as a friend or foe.â€
According the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces COE-CWO, “The main audience is military winter and mountain instructors and officers on the tactical/ operational level that need a wider perspective in winter operations.”
Both Arc’teryx LEAF and Vertx will be on hand showing their cold weather gear and collecting info for future product development.
Here is a link to the conference report from the first iteration, earlier this year.
The Nemesis Series Space Saver connector from ITT was developed specifically for wearable military equipment. It is a lightweight, “no-profile” interconnect system that utilizes canted spring technology to provide blind mating and quick snap-on/rip-away coupling to prevent dangerous cable snags. Additionally, the connector features an antireflective ROHS-compliant salt-spray resistant plating, guaranteed for 500 hours and a max rating of 2 amp with a voltage rating of 50 Vdc. and a minimum insulation resistance of 5000MΩ.
The Nemesis Series Space Saver has superior EMI performance to ensure the integrity of high frequency signals, as well as pogo pin contact technology for enhanced contact durability. Its canted spring technology provides full 360-degree EMI protection.
It seems some people have zero shame. It has come to our attention that there are a couple of fake hardcopy Ranger Medic Handbooks on Amazon and in digital format for the Kindle. North American Rescue has an agreement with the copyright holder making them the sole distributor of the RMH and all profits from the book go to a charity of the their choice. The charity is always a Wounded Warrior type charity and is currently the Sentinels of Freedom. This is VERY important. One of the versions on Amazon is listed as the 2011 version which is completely bogus. According to the authors, this is a draft of the 2007 version before the edits were finished. On a good note, the copyright holder is currently in contact with Amazon to deal with the three companies publishing the RMH.
Printed on tear-resistant and waterproof 6 mil paper, the RMH was designed for hard field use. Sections of the 156 page handbook include tactical combat casualty care (TCCC), trauma protocols and procedures, common sick-call related subjects, pharmacology, duties and responsibilities, packing lists, and more.
We’re not going to publish links to the fakes so please don’t put the info in the comments section.
